Journal from the Darkest Dungeon
by Some Welsh Guy
Summary: Journal of a Bounty Hunter trying to find his fortune in the depths of the Darkest Dungeon


Journal entry one,

Way I've heard it, this should be the perfect place to make gold. Word around the inns has been that a descendant of whatever idiot unleashed some unnatural horrors has come back to reclaim their family's fortune or honour or whatever. I don't really care why they're back, I just care that they're allowing blades for hire to come through their little hamlet and offer their services. I've been hunting down bandits and beasts for years to cash in their bounties, so whatever monsters crawled out of whatever portal their however-many-greats grandfather opened should be pretty easy pickings. I've hired a stage coach to take me there to see if it'll be worth my time. I've also decided to start keeping a journal. Rumour has it that the adventurers who go into the dungeons beneath the old estate have trouble staying sane, and I've heard this can help ground you. We'll see though, I guess.

Journal entry two,

I've finally made it to the hamlet. Place is even more depressing than I imagined. Seems to be getting back on its feet though. The tavern is running, so at least they have their priorities straight. The ride here wasn't as bad as I though it'd be. Had to ride along with three others though, all looking to join these expeditions into these old ruins. Guy in charge came down to give us a look over, get a demonstration of our skills and ask us some questions. The other three got rejected but I was given the go ahead. First mission's tomorrow. There's three old alters to the Light that have been corrupted from time down there and we're going to cleanse them. I'm not a religious man so who knows if these will do anything, but we're getting paid so not like I care either way.

Journal entry three,

First mission was a success! Got put into a group with three others for this mission. A woman with a crossbow, an old veteran warrior and some foreign lady. At first I thought the mission was doomed. The old man was missing an eye and the foreign one was missing a hand. Don't know how the Hell either one passed the inspections but hey, if they die it just means more pay for me. Didn't take long before we were in combat. We came across undead skeletons wandering the old ruins. I'd have been shocked if I hadn't faced zombies before. The old man was surprisingly skilled. He may have been old and missing an eye, but that didn't seem to slow him down at all. His morningstar crushed skulls with ease and he knew his way around a battlefield. That foreign one was a surprisingly skilled warrior too. She kept dodging and weaving around the skeletons' blows, sticking them with her spear and jumping back. It looked like some kind of elegant dance. I was a little intimidated, I admit. Was worried I'd be the weak link, but my hook and axe made equally quick work of the unholy things. We made our way through the ruins and splashed holy water or whatever onto those alters and found a few nice baubles for the boss. Old heirlooms it looks like. Though there were a few interesting trinkets too. The arbalest insisted we give those to the boss too. Seems they always managed to figure out some weird use for them. I got paid and spent the next few days enjoying my time in the gambling hall. This place doesn't seems as stressful as the stories made it out to be.

Journal entry four,

Okay, so maybe this place really IS as bad as I'd heard. A few weeks since last entry since nothing really noteworthy happened, but this mission really took me by surprise. I'd gone down to different parts of this estate doing different things, clearing the place of whatever abominations wandered around, mapping the place etc. This time though, this time it was more like the old days. My group descended to look for one bad guy in particular. Some apprentice necromancer. "Collecting a bounty on the big bad? Sounds like my expertise!" was all I could think as I got put into my group. I was set up with some priestess, a man who reminded me of the highwaymen I'd killed in years passed, and some barbarian looking woman. We descended into the ruins beneath the estate and made our way through. Stumbled upon a few bandits but we dispatched them quick enough. It was actually a little nostalgic since the highwayman looking guy fought a lot like one of my old comrades. Anyway, few rooms later and we come across a few cultists. Aside from the big claws stuck to the men's wrists, I wasn't too worried. Oh how I was wrong. While the males tore away at us, the women stayed in the back and cast spells. I saw them open portals and summon tentacles to shove us out of position. Whatever incantations they spat seemed to carry waves of stress along with them. I feel like I almost lost myself to their words until I dragged one close with my hook and took my axe to her neck. Our barbarian friend dispatched the other. Soon after we decided to make camp. I write this entry as our vestal tends to my wounds. Seems I heal pretty quick too, lucky me. I hope we can find and kill this necromancer soon. I need a few mugs of ale.

Journal entry five,

We did it. Turns out we camped just outside the room this necromancer had set up shop in. We went in with fresh energy and got into position to fight. The guy was tall. At least twice my height, and I'm a pretty big guy. We couldn't see his face, his hood made that impossible. We managed to get the jump on him and dealt pretty good damage. At least until he fought back. He made skeletons claw out of the flaw and rake at our legs. When he did, at least one would always climb out and join the fight proper. He always hid behind them too, coward. Would have been hard to hit him if I didn't keep sticking him with my hook and dragging him back into our hellion's glaive. To be honest, I'm kind of surprised we was as easy a kill as he was. Sure, his bone friends were annoying, but our highwayman got him bleeding and the vestal summoned the power of her god (The Light or something) and kept dazing him. I felt a little bad until a skeleton hit me. At that point I remembered that this guy was an evil being and chopped his head off. When it hit the floor, a collar fell off his shoulders. Figured I'd take a trophy back to the hamlet. At worst, it's a trophy of a difficult mission. I'm both eager and anxious about my future here. Those cultists were a wake up call. I can't afford to get complacent. "Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer" as my old boss used to say. I think I'll take a few days in the tavern to get those cultists' words out of my head. I feel like a lot of people would leave by now. Nearly driven mad by eldritch invocations. But I'm too hard headed. I've made more than enough gold to enjoy my time off, and if I'm honest, I kind of enjoy the thrills of combat. Been rumours going around that the boss is planning another expedition. If I can sober up by the time it's set, I just might throw my hat into the ring.


End file.
